| English Dictionary |
STRAWMAN
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Dictionary entry overview: What does strawman mean?
• STRAWMAN (noun)
The noun STRAWMAN has 3 senses:
1. a person used as a cover for some questionable activity
2. a weak or sham argument set up to be easily refuted
3. an effigy in the shape of a man to frighten birds away from seeds
Familiarity information: STRAWMAN used as a noun is uncommon.
Dictionary entry details
Sense 1
Meaning:
A person used as a cover for some questionable activity
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Synonyms:
figurehead; front; front man; nominal head; straw man; strawman
Hypernyms ("strawman" is a kind of...):
beguiler; cheat; cheater; deceiver; slicker; trickster (someone who leads you to believe something that is not true)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A weak or sham argument set up to be easily refuted
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Synonyms:
straw man; strawman
Hypernyms ("strawman" is a kind of...):
specious argument (an argument that appears good at first view but is really fallacious)
Sense 3
Meaning:
An effigy in the shape of a man to frighten birds away from seeds
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Synonyms:
bird-scarer; scarecrow; scarer; straw man; strawman
Hypernyms ("strawman" is a kind of...):
effigy; image; simulacrum (a representation of a person (especially in the form of sculpture))
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